Since moving to New York last year, I’ve seen some of the most amazing music of my life – from The National with St. Vincent and Sufjan Stevens at Radio City Music Hall to an unamplified Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy in a grimy Brooklyn basement.

Still, there’s no one I’ve seen live that comes close to Stephane Wrembel. A Paris-born Gypsy guitarist in the tradition of Django Reinhardt (think Woody Allen’s ‘Sweet and Lowdown’ if you’re not familiar), Wrembel is the single most awe-inspiring, “holy sh*t”-eliciting musician I’ve ever experienced.

Wrembel has caught the public’s attention in recent years when his “Big Brother” was included on the soundtrack to Allen’s ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona,’ with the jazz-nut director then asking Wrembel to compose a song specifically for the ‘Midnight in Paris’ soundtrack.

Though he’s recorded with David Grisman, sat in with Patti Smith and coached Mariah Carey, Wrembel caught my attention by jamming with my longtime Scranton friend and ex-bandmate Roy Williams. What started as a casual coffeehouse jam with one of his musical idols turned into a full-time gig for Williams, who’s now his default rhythm guitarist, playing out 5-6 nights a week in Brooklyn and Manhattan. While rooted in traditional Gypsy, the music is laced with Indian, African, contemporary jazz and rock ‘n roll influences.

Wrembel, Williams, and company perform at Fada in Williamsburg every Saturday and Barbes in Park Slope every Sunday. On most Thursdays they can be found at Bar Tabac in Carroll Gardens, and tonight Williams and his own crew of Scranton Gypsies (yes, I know how bizarre that sounds) will appear at Williamsburg’s Radegast Hall as they await Wrembel’s return from France.

I’m not an old-fashioned music elitist, a French Gypsy, or a shameless promoter of friends, but this is truly some of the most virtuosic, unbelievable music you will ever hear, performed by one of the world’s most highly-renowned guitarists. Set an evening aside to check it out for yourself.

http://www.stephanewrembel.com/